To safely eject an external drive on a Mac, first close files and apps that are using it. Then open Finder, select the drive in the sidebar, and click the Eject button next to its name. Wait for the drive to disappear from Finder before unplugging it.
You can also eject a drive from the desktop, use Disk Utility, or run an eject command in Terminal. If macOS says the disk was not ejected properly, reconnect it, stop any activity that may be using it, and eject it again before disconnecting the cable.
Quick Answer
- Save your work and close files stored on the external drive.
- Quit apps that may be reading from or writing to the drive.
- In Finder, click the Eject button next to the drive under Locations.
- Wait until the drive disappears from Finder and the desktop.
- Disconnect the drive.
Never unplug an external drive while files are being copied, moved, saved, or opened. Disconnecting it during activity can cause lost data, file-system errors, or the “Disk Not Ejected Properly” warning.
Why You Should Eject an External Drive
When you copy a file to an external drive, macOS may continue writing data for a short time after the copy window appears to finish. The system may also be updating file information, creating previews, or indexing the drive for searches.
Ejecting tells macOS to finish pending operations and safely disconnect the drive. Once the drive has been ejected, macOS no longer treats it as available storage, so you can unplug it with much less risk of corrupting files.
An external drive can include a portable hard drive, solid-state drive, USB flash drive, memory card, or another removable storage device.
Before You Eject the Drive
Before using any eject method:
- Finish copying or moving files.
- Save documents stored on the external drive.
- Close Finder windows showing the drive, if practical.
- Close media, backup, editing, or file-management apps that may be using the drive.
- Check that no file is still uploading, downloading, syncing, or being backed up.
Pay particular attention to apps such as photo libraries, video editors, music apps, backup tools, virtualization software, and cloud-storage utilities. An app may continue using a drive even when no visible transfer window is open.
Warning: Do not force-quit an app before saving your work. Force-quitting can close the app immediately and may discard unsaved changes.
Eject an External Drive in Finder
Finder is the simplest way to eject an external drive on a Mac.
- Open Finder from the Dock.
- Look under Locations in the Finder sidebar.
- Find the external drive.
- Click the Eject button next to the drive name.
If the Eject button is not visible, move the pointer over the drive name. You can also Control-click, or right-click, the drive and choose Eject.
Wait until the drive disappears from the Finder sidebar. If the drive icon appears on the desktop, it should disappear there as well.
If the Finder Sidebar Does Not Show External Drives
Finder may be configured not to show external disks.
- Open Finder.
- In the menu bar, choose Finder > Settings.
- Select the Sidebar tab.
- Enable the option for external disks under Locations.
You can also check whether desktop icons are enabled:
- Open Finder.
- Choose Finder > Settings.
- Select the General tab.
- Enable External disks under “Show these items on the desktop.”
These settings change only where drive icons appear. They do not change how the drive is ejected.
Eject a Drive From the Desktop
If the external drive appears on the desktop:
- Click the drive icon once.
- Choose File > Eject from the menu bar.
Alternatively, Control-click the drive icon and choose Eject. You can also drag the drive icon to the Trash in the Dock. The Trash icon changes to an Eject symbol while you drag a removable drive over it; this does not erase the drive.
Wait for the icon to disappear before disconnecting the cable.
Warning: Make sure you are ejecting the external drive and not dragging an individual file or folder to the Trash. Ejecting removes the drive from macOS, while moving a file to the Trash can mark that file for deletion.
Eject an External Drive With Disk Utility
Disk Utility is useful when Finder cannot eject the drive or when you want to inspect the drive’s volumes.
- Open Disk Utility. You can find it in Applications > Utilities or search for it with Spotlight.
- In the sidebar, select the external drive or the volume beneath it.
- Click the Eject button in the toolbar.
If the sidebar shows both a physical device and one or more volumes, start by selecting the volume you want to eject. If necessary, select the physical external device and eject it after its volumes have been unmounted.
A volume is the usable storage area that appears in Finder. A physical device can contain several volumes, so the names shown in Disk Utility may differ from the name you see in Finder.
Eject Versus Unmount
Disk Utility may use terms such as Unmount and Eject:
- Unmount disconnects a volume from macOS while the physical device remains connected.
- Eject removes the external device so it can be disconnected.
If you only unmount one volume on a device containing several volumes, other volumes may still be active. For safe physical removal, confirm that the entire external device has been ejected.
Warning: Do not click Erase. Erasing removes the drive’s data and reformats its storage. It is not an eject operation.
When an App Is Preventing Ejection
If macOS reports that the disk cannot be ejected because it is in use, an app or background process still has an open file or connection to the drive.
Try these steps in order:
- Close every file stored on the external drive.
- Quit apps that recently used the drive.
- Close Finder windows opened to the drive.
- Wait a few seconds.
- Try ejecting the drive again in Finder.
Apps that commonly prevent ejection include:
- Photo and video libraries
- Music and media players
- Backup software
- File synchronization tools
- Virtual machines
- Torrent or download apps
- Disk-management utilities
- Office or design apps with files stored on the drive
If you are unsure which app is responsible, save your work and quit open apps one at a time. After quitting an app, try ejecting the drive again.
Warning: Quitting an app can close documents and stop active tasks. Save files first, and do not quit an app while it is copying, exporting, or updating data unless you are prepared to restart that operation.
Spotlight Activity and External Drives
Spotlight is macOS’s search and indexing system. After you connect a drive or add many files, Spotlight may scan the drive in the background. This activity can sometimes delay ejection.
You may notice a progress indicator in Finder or ongoing disk activity from the drive. Wait for the activity to finish, then try ejecting again.
If you do not need the drive included in Spotlight searches, you can prevent indexing for that drive:
- Open System Settings.
- Select Siri & Spotlight.
- Scroll down and select Spotlight Privacy.
- Click the Add button.
- Select the external drive and click Choose.
On some systems, you can also drag the drive into the Spotlight Privacy list.
This prevents Spotlight from indexing the selected drive, which can reduce background activity. It also means files on that drive may not appear in Spotlight search results.
To allow indexing again, return to System Settings > Siri & Spotlight > Spotlight Privacy, select the drive, and click the Remove button.
Eject a Drive Using Terminal
Terminal can be useful when Finder and Disk Utility do not work, but it requires careful identification of the correct disk.
Warning: Terminal commands can affect storage devices. Choosing the wrong disk identifier can unmount or eject another drive. Do not continue unless you can clearly identify the external drive.
- Open Terminal from Applications > Utilities.
- List connected disks:
diskutil list
- Find the external drive in the output. Note its identifier, such as
disk2. - Eject that device:
diskutil eject disk2
Replace disk2 with the identifier for your external drive.
The diskutil list command only displays connected disks; it does not change them. The diskutil eject command unmounts the drive’s volumes and ejects the device from macOS. It does not erase files.
If you accidentally eject the wrong disk, reconnecting it or opening Disk Utility can usually make it available again. There is no general “undo” command for a completed eject, because ejecting is a device-removal action rather than a data change.
Do not use commands that erase, partition, or forcibly unmount a disk unless you fully understand their effects.
What to Do When a Disk Will Not Eject
If Finder says the disk cannot be ejected, work through these steps:
- Confirm that file transfers have finished.
- Close files stored on the drive.
- Quit apps that may be using the drive.
- Wait for Spotlight, backup, or synchronization activity to finish.
- Try Finder > Eject again.
- Try ejecting the drive in Disk Utility.
- Restart the Mac if the drive still remains busy.
- After the Mac shuts down completely, disconnect the drive.
Restarting can close processes that are holding the drive open. However, save your work first because restarting closes apps and may interrupt active operations.
Should You Force Eject the Drive?
Force ejection should be a last resort. Depending on the situation, you may see an option to force eject the drive or use a force-related command in Terminal.
Forced ejection immediately disconnects the drive without allowing every pending operation to finish. It can cause:
- Unsaved data to be lost
- Recently copied files to be incomplete
- File-system corruption
- Problems opening the drive the next time it is connected
If the drive contains important data, avoid force ejecting it unless there is no practical alternative. Close apps, wait for activity to finish, and restart the Mac instead whenever possible.
If you must disconnect a frozen or unresponsive drive, understand that the next connection may require Disk Utility to check or repair the volume. Do not remove the cable while the drive’s activity light shows ongoing activity unless you accept the risk of data loss.
Fix the “Disk Not Ejected Properly” Warning
The “Disk Not Ejected Properly” warning usually means macOS detected that the drive was disconnected without a normal eject. This can happen if you unplug the cable, disconnect a hub, lose power, or force the drive out while it is still in use.
When the warning appears:
- Reconnect the drive.
- Wait for it to appear in Finder.
- Check whether the important files open normally.
- Eject the drive through Finder or Disk Utility.
- Disconnect it only after it disappears.
If the warning appears repeatedly even when you eject correctly, investigate the connection:
- Replace the USB or Thunderbolt cable.
- Connect the drive directly to the Mac instead of through a hub.
- Try another port.
- Check the drive’s power adapter if it has one.
- Avoid disconnecting a hub or dock while the drive is mounted.
- Check the drive in Disk Utility.
- Keep backups of important files.
Repeated warnings can indicate a loose connection, an unstable hub, insufficient power, a failing cable, or a problem with the drive itself.
Prevent Ejection Problems
Use these habits to reduce the chance of receiving a disk warning:
- Always eject before unplugging.
- Wait for file copies and exports to finish.
- Close documents stored on the drive.
- Quit apps that use external storage.
- Keep the drive connected directly when troubleshooting.
- Use a reliable cable and, when needed, the drive’s proper power adapter.
- Avoid moving a portable hard drive while it is running.
- Do not disconnect a USB hub or dock before ejecting the drives attached to it.
- Keep a backup of important data.
If you use the drive for automatic backups or synchronization, wait until the backup or sync process reports that it is finished before ejecting.
Troubleshooting
The drive is not visible in Finder
Open Disk Utility and check the sidebar. If the drive appears there but not in Finder, select its volume and click Mount. After it mounts, eject it normally if you only needed to reconnect it.
If it does not appear in Disk Utility, check the cable, port, hub, power source, and drive enclosure.
The Eject button does nothing
Wait briefly, close apps using the drive, and try again. Then use Disk Utility. A process may still be accessing a file even though Finder does not show an active transfer.
The drive disappears but its light remains on
Some drives keep their power light on after macOS ejects them. The important sign is that the drive has disappeared from Finder and is no longer mounted. Wait a few seconds before disconnecting it, especially if the drive has moving parts.
The drive returns immediately after ejection
A backup, synchronization, or other background app may be reconnecting to the drive. Quit that app temporarily, finish or pause its task, and try again.
Disk Utility reports a problem
If Disk Utility reports errors, make a backup of accessible files before attempting repairs. You can select the volume in Disk Utility and choose First Aid to check and repair certain storage-structure problems.
Warning: Repair operations can take time and should not be interrupted. Do not disconnect the drive while First Aid is running.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is dragging an external drive to the Trash safe?
Yes. When you drag a removable drive to the Trash, Finder changes the Trash icon to an Eject symbol and ejects the drive instead of deleting its contents. You can also Control-click the drive and choose Eject to avoid confusion.
Can I unplug an external SSD without ejecting it?
You should still eject an external SSD first. Solid-state storage has no moving parts, but macOS may still be writing data or updating the file system when you unplug it.
Does ejecting a drive delete anything?
No. Normal ejection unmounts and disconnects the drive. It does not delete files, erase the drive, or reformat it.
What is the difference between ejecting and unmounting?
Unmounting disconnects a volume from macOS. Ejecting generally removes the external device so it can be physically disconnected. If a device contains multiple volumes, make sure all relevant volumes are unmounted before unplugging it.
Can I eject a drive while an app is open?
It is safer to close files and quit apps that use the drive first. An app that has a file open may prevent ejection or may lose data if the drive is disconnected.
Is it safe to force eject a drive?
Force ejecting can interrupt pending writes and cause data loss or corruption. Use it only as a last resort after saving work and closing apps.
Why does Spotlight prevent my drive from ejecting?
Spotlight may be indexing files on the drive after it is connected or after many files change. Wait for indexing to finish, or add the drive to Spotlight Privacy if you do not need its contents in Spotlight searches.
Final Thoughts
The safest way to eject an external drive on a Mac is to close files and apps, use Finder’s Eject button, and wait for the drive to disappear before unplugging it. If Finder cannot eject the drive, try Disk Utility, allow Spotlight or backup activity to finish, and restart the Mac before considering a forced ejection. These simple steps help protect your files and prevent “Disk Not Ejected Properly” warnings.